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President Donald Trump锘匡豢 on Tuesday signed a series of executive orders aimed at boosting the struggling coal industry, a reliable but polluting energy source that鈥檚 long been in decline.Under the four orders, Trump uses his emergency authority to allow some older coal-fired power plants set for retirement to keep producing electricity to meet rising U.S. power demand amid growth in data centers, artificial intelligence and electric cars.Trump also directed federal agencies to identify coal resources on federal lands, lift barriers to coal mining and prioritize coal leasing on U.S. lands.Trump, a Republican, has long promised to boost what he calls 鈥渂eautiful鈥� coal to fire power plants and for other uses, but the industry has been in decline for decades.鈥淚 call it beautiful, clean coal. I told my people, never use the word coal unless you put beautiful, clean before it,鈥� Trump said at the White House signing ceremony where he was flanked by coal miners in hard hats. Several wore patches on their work jackets that said 鈥渃oal.鈥濃€淧ound for pound, coal is the single most reliable, durable, secure and powerful form of energy,鈥� Trump said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 cheap, incredibly efficient, high density, and it鈥檚 almost indestructible."Trump's orders also direct Interior Secretary Doug Burgum锘� to 鈥渁cknowledge the end鈥� of an Obama-era moratorium that paused coal leasing on federal lands and require federal agencies to rescind policies transitioning the nation away from coal production. And they seek to promote coal and coal technology exports, and accelerate development of coal technologies.锘匡豢Trump has long championed coalTrump, who has pushed for U.S. 鈥渆nergy dominance鈥� in the global market, has long suggested that coal can help meet surging electricity demand from manufacturing and the massive data centers needed for artificial intelligence.鈥淲e鈥檙e ending Joe Biden鈥檚 war on beautiful, clean coal once and for all,'' he said Tuesday. 鈥淎ll those plants that have been closed are going to be opened, if they鈥檙e modern enough, (or) they鈥檒l be ripped down and brand new ones will be built. And we鈥檙e going to put the miners back to work.鈥滻n 2018, during his first term, Trump directed then-Energy Secretary Rick Perry to take 鈥渋mmediate steps鈥� to bolster struggling coal-fired and nuclear power plants, calling it a matter of national and economic security.At that time, Trump also considered but didn't approve a plan to order grid operators to buy electricity from coal and nuclear plants to keep them open. Energy industry groups 鈥� including oil, natural gas, solar and wind power 鈥� condemned the proposal, saying it would raise energy prices and distort markets.锘匡豢The national decline of coalEnergy experts say any bump for coal under Trump is likely to be temporary because natural gas is cheaper, and there鈥檚 a durable market for renewable energy such as wind and solar power no matter who holds the White House.Trump's administration has targeted regulations under the Biden administration that could hasten closures of heavily polluting coal power plants and the mines that supply them.Coal once provided more than half of U.S. electricity production, but its share dropped to about 16% in 2023, down from about 45% as recently as 2010. Natural gas provides about 43% of U.S. electricity, with the remainder from nuclear energy and renewables such as wind, solar and hydropower.The front line in what Republicans call the 鈥渨ar on coal鈥� is in the Powder River Basin of Wyoming and Montana, a sparsely populated section of the Great Plains with the nation鈥檚 largest coal mines. It鈥檚 also home to a massive power plant in Colstrip, Montana, that emits more toxic air pollutants such as lead and arsenic than any other U.S. facility of its kind, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.EPA rules finalized last year could force the Colstrip Generating Station to shut down or spend an estimated $400 million to clean up its emissions within the next several years. Another Biden-era proposal, from the Interior Department, would end new leasing of taxpayer-owned coal reserves in the Powder River Basin.Changes and promises under TrumpTrump vowed to reverse those actions and has named Burgum and Energy Secretary Chris Wright to lead a new National Energy Dominance Council. The panel is tasked with driving up already record-setting domestic oil and gas production, as well as coal and other traditional energy sources.The council has been granted sweeping authority over federal agencies involved in energy permitting, production, generation, distribution, regulation and transportation. It has a mandate to cut bureaucratic red tape, enhance private sector investments and focus on innovation instead of 鈥渦nnecessary regulation,鈥� Trump said.EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, meanwhile, has announced a series of actions to roll back environmental regulations, including rules on pollution from coal-fired power plants.In all, Zeldin said he's moving to roll back 31 environmental rules, including a scientific finding that has long been the central basis for U.S. action against climate change.锘緾oal industry applauds, but environmental groups warn of problemsIndustry groups praised Trump's focus on coal.鈥淒espite countless warnings from the nation鈥檚 grid operators and energy regulators that we are facing an electricity supply crisis, the last administration鈥檚 energy policies were built on hostility to fossil fuels, directly targeting coal,'' said Rich Nolan, president and CEO of the National Mining Association.Trump's executive actions 鈥渃learly prioritize how to responsibly keep the lights on, recognize the enormous strategic value of American-mined coal and embrace the economic opportunity that comes from American energy abundance,鈥� Nolan said.But environmental groups said Trump's actions were more of the same tactics he tried during his first term in an unsuccessful bid to revive coal.鈥淲hat鈥檚 next, a mandate that Americans must commute by horse and buggy?" asked Kit Kennedy, managing director for power at the Natural Resources Defense Council.鈥淐oal plants are old and dirty, uncompetitive and unreliable," Kennedy said, accusing Trump and his administration of remaining 鈥渟tuck in the past, trying to make utility customers pay more for yesterday鈥檚 energy.鈥滻nstead, she said, the U.S. should do all it can to build the power grid of the future, including tax credits and other support for renewable energy such as wind and solar power.____Associated Press writer Seung Min Kim contributed to this report.